NEWARK, N.J. – On an extremely brutal mercury plunging night, Seton Hall left visiting South Florida in the cold posting a 55-47 victory at the Prudential Center on Wednesday. The pace was to South Florida’s liking, but that slower tempo did not deter the Pirates.
A look at the key numbers:
Possessions:
South Florida 55
Seton Hall 53
Offensive efficiency:
South Florida 86
Seton Hall 104
The keys:
1. Hall’s zone. The 3-2 utilized by Kevin Willard forced the visiting Bulls to struggle offensively, as the efficiency bears out. On many trips down the floor, South Florida wound up settling for a perimeter shot, often just before the shot clock expired. Which leads us to….
2. Perimeter defense. A priority of Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard, the Hall defended the perimeter limiting South Florida to 3 of 19 (15.8%) shooting from three. Toarlyn Fitzpatrick of South Florida was a prime defensive consideration and scored 10 points on 4 of 16 (0 for 7 from three) shooting.
3. A week off. For the first time since Big East play started the Pirates had a week off. Willard gave the players a few days off and the rest helped heal some injuries. Sophomore forward Brandon Mobley, nursing a sore shoulder, scored 14 points in 21 minutes. Brian Oliver, feared lost for the year, gave Willard a nine-point outing in 12 minutes. The Seton Hall mentor is hopeful Mobley and Oliver can increase their minutes as the injuries heal during the ensuing weeks.
Seton Hall’s Fuquan Edwin paced all scorers with 16 points. Jawanza Poland came off the bench to lead South Florida with 13. The Bulls are 1-5 in conference, the lone win a big one over Georgetown last Saturday. Seton Hall is 2-4 in Big East play.
Four Factors: Seton Hall had a ridiculously high 32% turnover rate compared to the excellent 11% of South Florida. The difference? Hall limited USF to a 37% eFG mark while firing away at a torrid 59% rate.
“The past week was the first time in a month we practiced with nine players. That gave us more confidence going into this game.” – Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard
